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Who can recommend a great bread for toasting?

Who can recommend a great bread for toasting?

Any suggestions for a bread that does great breakfast toasts? I would prefer if it was not all white flour, for health reasons, and a sourdough for flavor and because it keeps a bit longer. But I am open to all suggestions!

I will second the semolina bread for toasting. I make a half-semolina bread specifically for this purpose. Just 50% bread flour, 50% "BRM semolina for pasta". The result is a rather dense bread that makes surprisingly tender toast.

Put the thinly sliced potatoes in a large bowl, then pour in boiling water. Sprinkle on the sugar, salt, and cornmeal. Place the bowl in a larger bowl of hot water and put it in a warm (about 110°F) spot where the temperature remains fairly steady. Do not cover!!! The starter must then be foaming, with some corn meal and perhaps even a few slices of potato floating. It will have a strong odor. Don’t let it sit much longer or it may become too sour and mask the flavor of the bread. Remove the potato slices and discard them.

Scald milk (190°F) then cool to 110°F. Add baking soda to the starter and stir. Then add milk, sugar, and unbleached flour. Beat briskly until smooth, then cover with a plastic wrap and again place in a larger bowl of hot water. Set in a warm (110°F) place, and let the sponge rise. This may take as much as 5 hours, or as little as 2 hours. When ready, the sponge will look creamy and will have foam on top, and still have the strong cheese odor. If insufficient rising at this point, the dough probably will not rise sufficiently.

Put 4 cups of flour, 1 tspn. sugar and 2 1/2 tspn. salt into a large bowl, and blend. Add shortening in small pieces and blend in as for pie dough, until the mixture looks like fine meal. Add the flour mixture to the sponge and beat until well mixed. Then add enough flour (4 - 5 cups, or more) to make a soft, manageable dough that you can knead.Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead for a minute or two, adding flour as necessary. Let it rest for ten minutes. Resume the kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic, adding flour as necessary. Divide into three loaves (about 2 3/4 lb. each), and shape each piece to fit the loaf pans. Place each into a greased loaf pan, brush with melted butter, and cover with plastic wrap. Set loaf pans in a larger pan of hot water, and set all in a warm place (110°F) to rise. This final rise takes about 2 to 5 hours, and the loaves should double the original volume. (I have found that this bread will not rise quite as much other bread.)

BAKING (S. R. BREAD)Preheat oven to 375°F (optionally, with a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf) and the middle shelf reserved for the bread pans. When the dough has risen (you may spray the dough with water, and) place immediately into the oven. Spray the loaves 3 additional times at 2 minute intervals to permit additional rising. Bake until the interior temperature of the loaves is 200°F. They should sound hollow when thumped with a finger on the bottom, about 60 minutes. It is better to overbake than to risk underbaking. Turn out on to a cooling rack, brush with butter, and cover with a damp cloth until cooled. Bread may then be packaged and frozen.

NOTES (S. R. BREAD)To me, making Salt Rising Bread is mostly art and very little science. We do not know the causes for some of my failures, though we are still trying to determine them. We suggest that anyone trying this recipe, not make substitutions, and take all the precautions listed, until after at least one success. We would like very much to know what substitutions are safe and what precautions are unnecessary. We believe the primary source of failure is the lack of sufficient organisms reaching the starter to make an active leaven, see below.A proofing oven is ideal for the various rising steps. One can be made of a large cardboard box with a light bulb for heat. (Do not let the bulb touch the box.) We have used an electric oven and manually adjusted the temperature, but this is tricky. Leaving the oven light bulb on will give a warm environment. A gas oven with only the pilot light on will work, as will the top of a hot water heater.Be sure to measure the temperature of the proofing oven (or area) — too high a temperature kills the organisms and too low (below 100°F) will not permit fast enough growth. A temperature of 110°F seems to be about ideal for proofing. The initial temperature of water in which the dough container rests may be as hot as 140°F. This yeast seems to like a higher temperature than normal yeast.Do NOT cover the potato and cornmeal starter. We believe the most important source of the leavening organism is the atmosphere we breathe. We have experimented with covered and uncovered starters. The uncovered worked and the covered did not! It is probably a good idea not to attempt the starter, if it is raining or snowing, since these clear the air of some of the yeast spores.Do not use any product that has a live culture in it such as sweet acidophilus milk, yogurt, or buttermilk. Or, at least scald (190°F for 10 minutes) such a product to kill any active organisms. The organisms may be antagonistic to the leavening organism.Be careful of preservatives that may be in the various ingredients. They may kill the leavening organism. Salt is a preservative; too much will slow or stop the leavening process. If at any time in the process the product does not appear to be working, i.e., generating the gases needed for proper rising, discard it, and start over. The starter must generate a good deal of foam, the sponge must also foam, and the dough must increase in bulk by 100%. Possible causes for not working include the following. (1) Cornmeal is too refined, or contains preservative or has been heated. (2) The starter mixture is covered so that spores cannot get to the nutrients. (3) A product containing an antagonistic culture, or a preservative was used. (4) Improper rising temperatures were used.To avoid off flavors, do not use vessels or utensils for the starter or the sponge in which bare aluminum, copper, or iron is exposed. Good stainless steel is acceptable. Adapted from Fanny Farmer Baking Book, by Marion Cunningham, Knopf, New York 1984

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SALT-RISING BREAD, KING ARTHURThis is not the traditional recipe for salt-rising bread, but it is more reliable and produces bread that closely resembles the traditional bread and has the strong cheese odor. This recipe is a modification of the recipe provided by King Arthur Flour with their Salt-Rising Yeast. The amount of flour has been increased; the sugar has been decreased; and the dry active yeast has been decreased. The dough is still quite slack, sticky, and difficult to handle. I recommend an electric mixer with dough hook be used for final kneading. (A food processor or a bread machine will probably work.) The bread must be made over a two or three day period. It cannot be rushed. For a while, King Arthur discontinued selling the salt rising yeast, but as of 22 March 2009 it is back in their catalog.

Pour the boiling water into a 2-cup or larger container and sprinkle the dry milk and the salt-rising yeast over it. Stir to moisten the dry ingredients. In a few minutes stir again to be sure all dry ingredients have been moistened. Cover the container and place it in a warm place, 100 – 110°F for about 24 hours. The mixture should be bubbly and have the typical sour, cheese odor. It may have separated, but this is all right. If the starter is not bubbly, it has either died or has not been activated; throw it out and start over.

Add the Starter, the flour and the hot water to the bowl for the final mixing of the bread dough. (I use a stand mixer with a dough hook for final mixing.) Stir, cover, and place the bowl in a warm place (100 – 110°F). Let the sponge rest for 2 to 4 hours, or even overnight. At the end of the period, the sponge should be bubbly and still have the characteristic strong odor.

Mix the yeast with the warm water and sprinkle on some of the sugar; stir and allow foam to form. Add the yeast mixture and the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix with a dough hook until the dough looks shiny, about 5 minutes. The dough is very sticky and hand kneading is problematic.Preheat the oven to 375°F. Divide the dough between two greased loaf pans (9 5/8 x 5 1/2 x 2 3/4“ top and down the side). Cover with greased plastic wrap and place in the proofing area (100 to 110°F) until dough comes to the top of the pans, about 1 hour, but it is not predictable. Do not expect much “oven spring,” so let it rise fully before placing it in the oven.Bake the bread in the preheated 375°F oven for about 40 minutes. The dough may be sprayed a couple of times with water during the first 5 minutes in the oven and the oven may have a pan of boiling water on the bottom shelf to simulate a commercial steam oven. When the bread is golden brown and the interior temperature is 190°F, remove the pans from the oven and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then turn the loaves out on to a cooling rack and allow them to cool before slicing or packaging them.modified from The Bakers Catalogue, Inc.

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The King Arthur's recipe is easier since the yeast is already active. At times King Arthur has been out of the starter

my irish grandmother's oatmeal/molasses loaf sustains me. it has 1 t-spoon salt & 1 tb-spoon brown sugar plus .25 cup molasses. 2 or 3 slices of that in the morning leaves me sated until lunch. i make it for her daughter, my mother, and several of her 80+ yr old buddies. it also makes an excellent burger roll...it's something about the mild sweetness of the molasses. this toasts wonderfully. some like it slightly burned & smeared w/ peanut butter. i like it plain. but this is an inexpesive, hearty loaf that keeps well for 1+ week.

kdwnnc and dcochran: pleaseee...would you share your recipes for your fav. toasting breads? My DH has PB & homemade jelly every morning for b'fast........oh, ya, and tons of butter! (he has NO cholosterol) I got it all!

Sure; here is the recipe for my favorite buttermilk bread. I hope you enjoy it!

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup warm water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading (I usually use 1 1/2 cups AP and 1 1/2 cups WW, using extra AP for the kneading)

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

2 teaspoons sesame seeds, optional (I don't use them)

Dissolve yeast and sugar in the water and let stand until foamy, about 3 minutes. Melt butter in saucepan, add buttermilk and heat to lukewarm. In bowl of electric mixer, combine flour, soda, and salt. Using a wooden spoon, stir in buttermilk mixture. Add yeast mixture and blend well. Fit bowl onto mixer stand and knead with dough hook for 10 minutes, until dough is smooth and supple, adding more flour if necessary (dough should not be sticky). Turn onto a floured surface and knead for 1 minute by hand. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise until more than doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Try this site for a buttermilk bread recipe from the fresh loaf site, or just go to search on the TFL site and search for "buttermilk cluster". You don't have to bake it in a cluster. You can shape it how you want or cook it in a loaf pan. Up to you.

The cluster however looks great when friends are over if you want to impress for dinner.

so sorry for the delay....you had requested the recipe for oatmeal molasses bread. i am a real duffer & do not weigh ingredients.the preferment is a recent addition not included in the original. i do like the added flavor, though. the flour is split equally: BF & AP.

optional: 2 Tbsp wheat germ ( i got a deal on some & like the added flavor & chewy texture. but, the bread is good without this)

1Tbsp brown sugar ( this is optional, too. i like the way the sugar rounds off the bitterness of the molasses)

1 T yeast

i start by mixing the oatmeal, molasses & salt together with the hot water. once the mixture has cooled down, dump in the remaining dry ingredients. then, the preferment gets incorporated. this should be a wet mixture that is too wet to handle cleanly. i cover it & let it rise. it should rise like crazy. then, i cover a board with flour & then knead. it usually takes another 1/2 C flour but it varies depending on the weather. after kneading for 10 minutes & folding & shaping, i spray a large loaf pan (is it 4" x 9" ??) and throw a handful of oats inside. then, place the loaf inside & press down a bit to fully incorporate the oats. the top should still be kind of wet, so i put some oats there, as well. the oven gets preheated to 400 & the loaf goes in for 30 mins & then the oven is lowered to 350 for 25 mins.

this bread is awesome for sandwiches: peanut butter & general sandwiches. i love it with burgers, too. some in my family like to almost burn it before slathering on the pnut butter. i hope you try it & enjoy it. it took me a while to get it right. this is uber hearty & healthy. i do hope you like it. i am sorry for the delay in answering your message... i was away & not visiting this site. thank you for your interest.

Take any bread you like the taste of. If it is over one day old, toast it and enjoy.

I don't why, it may be an old granny's tale but here in Australia bread over a day old is considered best for toasting. Don't leave it till it's totally stale, just don't toast it when at it's freshest.

Try it and see.....you may not agree. It all gets back to your own taste preferences.

you are right! I have learned baking with Richard Bertinet, a French baker now established in Bath (see his website: thebertinetkitchen) and he always uses and recommends a day old bread for toasting. At one of his classes, we baked beautiful brioches as bread loafs and had them sliced thinly and toasted the next day. Awsome! But, I often bake quite heavy, tasteful, wholewheat type breads and I find those often do not toast easily, they 'dry' up more than toast: not so nice.

Depends what kind of toast you like. I've found the Tartine formula (widely referenced on TFL), makes a good, firm toast with a lovely crunchy crust. Like you though, I prefer some wholegrains in a formula, so as well as the whole wheat I add at least 10% of rye flour to total flour. Am thinking of upping this. I imagine the salt levels in this formula could be taken down a few points of a percent as well, if required.

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